In Neal Asher’s Hilldiggers, throughout a war between two planets in the same solar program – each occupied by adapted human beings – what’s regarded as a cosmic superstring is uncovered. After being cut, this object collapses into four cylindrical pieces, each about how big is a tube teach. Each is normally densely filled with either alien technology or some kind of life. They are put for security in three ozark cylinders of a massively protected space train station. There a female research scientist eventually falls pregnant, and provides delivery to quads. Then she commits suicide – but why?

By the finish of the war one of the contesting planets has been devastated from the hilldiggers – giant space dreadnoughts using weapons capable of creating mountain ranges. The quads possess meanwhile grown up and are supposing positions of power in the post-war culture. One of them will eventually gain control of the awesome hilldiggers .